


Collide

by PinkBlossom



Series: Collide - The Series [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of bereavement, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:48:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkBlossom/pseuds/PinkBlossom
Summary: Gibbs meets his new neighbours. Domestic fluff ensues.Originally posted on Tumblr. Posted here with edits**I realised I missed out a whole chapter!** Chapter 3 has been replaced. It should make more sense now. Sorry!**
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Collide - The Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143911
Comments: 13
Kudos: 36





	1. Bicycle Blues

The crash was enough to make Gibbs look up over the side of his truck. He spied the boy laying prostrate on the ground, the wreckage of his cycle across his legs. He dropped his tools and ran over to the boy, removing the bike from him.

‘Hey buddy can you hear me?’ Gibbs said gently.

A pair of eyes flickered at him and a cry started to emit from the boy’s bloody lip.

‘It’s ok, stay still. My name’s Jethro, what’s yours?’ Gibbs wasn’t sure he’d seen the boy in the neighbourhood before.

Before the boy could answer a woman shouted ‘Jenson’ across the street. Gibbs looked up and saw a woman with brunette hair running towards them. She got down to the boy’s side and reassured him.

‘It’s ok honey, Grandma’s here.

Gibbs looked at her again, finding it hard to believe she was old enough to be this boy’s Grandma. Jenson eventually picked himself up. A few grazes and a bloody lip but otherwise relatively unscathed.

‘You can clean him up inside if you want?’ Gibbs offered as the woman.

‘Oh no, I couldn’t intrude. We’re only staying across the street,’ she said, point to the house diagonally opposite to him.

‘Bert’s place?’ he enquired.

‘Yeah, he’s my uncle. He’s still living it up in Hawaii so he said we could look after the house for him.’ She replied, holding Jenson close to her. ‘Thank you for your help, I’m Mary,’ she said, smiling and offering her hand.

‘Jethro,’ he replied, shaking her hand. And don’t worry about the bike. I’ll sort that out.

‘Thank you, I’ll get this young man cleaned up. Nice to meet you Jethro.’

‘You too Mary,’ he replied.

She led the simpering child away to her house while Gibbs picked up the wrecked bike. The front wheel was buckled and the handlebars needed adjusted. He took it down to his basement and over the weekend, he worked at getting the bike fixed. He sourced a new front wheel and fixed the brakes that were clearly not working. He mused that they were probably the cause of the crash.

On Sunday afternoon, he took the renovated bike back to its owner who seemed a bit unsure about ever getting back on it ever again. Mary invited Jethro in and offered him coffee.

‘I think he gave himself quite a fright,’ Mary admitted. ‘Although not as much as he gave me,’ she admitted, a slight blush rising to her cheeks as she handed the steaming cup of coffee to Gibbs.

‘You’ve definitely got your hands full,’ he said, watching Jenson climb the tree in their back yard.

‘Haven’t I? Jessica was a proper little scamp at his age, but nothing compared to Jenson.’

‘Is Jessica your daughter?’ As he said the words, he saw a wave of sadness fall over Mary.

‘Yes. She was. We lost her last Christmas. It’s why I’ve got Jenson.’

Gibbs nodded and took a sip from his coffee. The grief was all too familiar to him. She took a few minutes to compose herself, putting on a well-worn smile.

‘How old is Jenson? Is he at school?’ Jethro asked

‘He’s 5 and he just started kindergarten last week. He loves it but he prefers to be outside. I’m grateful this house has a back yard.’

Gibbs drank the last of his coffee and got up to leave.

‘Thanks for fixing his bike. I really thought it was a write-off,’

‘No problem, thanks for the coffee.’

The next week saw the MCRT working flat out. A fraud investigation in Norfolk and a murdered Admiral in Pennsylvania meant that by the time Friday night came round, everyone was ready to go home. Gibbs arrived at his house to find Fornell on his porch, clutching a bag.

‘Who’s Mary and will I need to buy a suit?’ the FBI agent joked, deadpan.

Gibbs gave him a confused look. ‘What?’ he muttered, opening the door and letting his friend in.

Tobias put the bag he was clutching on the table and bought out a box of cookies. He opened the box and sampled one.

‘She makes very good cookies whoever she is?’

‘Wait, did you just open my package?’

‘It was a bag with cookies in and a note saying thank you. Signed Mary. I ask again, anything I should know?

‘Tobias, did you want something?’ Jethro replied huffily as he inspected the package. He found a folded-up piece of paper in the bag, a hand-drawn and highly colourful picture of what Gibbs assumed to be Jenson on his bike. Fornell looked over his shoulder.

‘Hmm fan-mail. So who is Mary,? Fornell enquired yet again, trying to take another cookie before Gibbs slapped his hand of the container. He folded the picture up and put it in his pocket

‘She’s staying in a house across the road if you must know,’ Gibbs retorted, picking up the cookies and putting them in a cupboard, out of Tobias’ reach.

‘So a single mom then? Not your usual type,’ he teased.

‘Tobias, I fixed her grandson’s bike after he crashed it. There, that better? Gibbs huffed, moving towards the fridge to get them both a beer.

‘Grandma, well you’re no spring chicken these days Gibbs.’ Fornell joked. Gibbs set him with a withering stare that made him change the subject. 

After he’d got rid of Tobias, Gibbs ate and settled down in the basement, working on his boat. He took the picture Jenson had drawn him and put it up on the old pin board he had on the wall, shaking his head as he remembered Tobias’ incessant teasing. He’d enjoyed Mary’s company but that last thing on his mind was romance and he very much doubted that what was Mary wanted right now.


	2. Boat in the Basement

The weekend was quiet. Gibbs was able to spend time with his boat as well as fixing a leaky gutter on his front porch. He saw Jenson cycling furiously up and down the sidewalk. Gibbs smiled, it meant he’d gotten over his accident. He saw Mary briefly and thanked her for the cookies. It was a short conversation as she had to run off and stop Jenson getting up to something he shouldn’t be.

Monday was a relaxed day. There were no new cases, giving everyone a breather and chance to catch up with their paperwork. Even with no new cases, Gibbs was still the last to leave. The sun was setting as he pulled into his road. Immediately he saw police cars lining the street. He saw a local officer he recognised and rolled down his window.

‘Hey Max, he shouted, getting the officers attention.

‘Oh hey Gibbs. This isn’t a navy case is it?’ Max replied looking confused.

‘Not that I’ve been told. What’s going on?’

‘5-year-old boy missing. Went out to play in the backyard but when his Grandma went to call him in for dinner he was gone.’

‘Is it Jenson?’

‘That’s the kids name. You know him?’

Yeah I know him. I’ll park up and give you a hand. Gibbs asserted as he pulled into his driveway.

He got out and noticed his front door was slightly ajar. Drawing his weapon, he slowly edged his way in, clearing the ground floor without incident. He went upstairs and found nothing out of the ordinary. Heading back down the stairs, he pulled out his torch from his bag and crept down the stairs. He knew someone was or had been down here as the light was on. Stealthily, the made his way down the steps. He got halfway down then he saw a red bundle in the hull of his unfinished boat. On closer inspection it turned out to be a sleeping Jenson, wrapped up in one of Gibbs discarded hoodies. Gibbs tried to rouse the child but he was too sleepy so he reached in to the boat and lifted the boy out. He barely stirred as Gibbs carried him across to the street to Mary’s house. The relief was etched into Mary’s worried face as soon as she saw her grandson again. As the police operation was stood down, He stayed with his neighbour to make sure she was ok. Jenson remained asleep on the couch, Mary was almost afraid to let him out of her sight again. Gibbs noticed her hands were still shaking as she stroked the child’s hair.

‘He’s no idea the fuss he’s caused,’ Gibbs noted.

Mary stayed quiet, her face was a swirl of emotion and Jethro couldn’t quite pick which one was dominant.

‘Are you ok, Mary?’ he asked with genuine concern.

Her lip trembled. ‘I’m not sure I can do this. I don’t think I can cope with him,’ she whispered, her voice wavering.

He put his hand on hers. ‘You’re doing your best. Trust me, it happens all the time,

Mary looked up at Jethro, she looked distraught. ‘I’ll end up in a secure hospital if he does this kind of stuff every week.’

Gibbs gave her a crooked smile. ‘Maybe you should get a GPS tracker for his shoes.’

Mary laughed, defusing the tense atmosphere.

‘Is the hoodie yours? You a Marine?’

‘Yes,’ he answered.

She sighed whistfully. ‘My John was a Marine. He was killed during desert storm. Jessica was only a baby.’

Jethro sat quietly and listened.

‘He was only 21. We’d been married a year after a small wedding, neither of us were up for a big showy wedding. I loved him so much that I could never imagine loving anyone as much as I did John. I remember all the other mums at the mother and toddler group used to look at me with pity but I never understood why. I just carried on be Jessica’s mum,‘ she mused.

She seemed to snap out of her nostalgia and the worried look returned as she glanced back at Jenson.

‘I hope I’m not keeping you back. Thank you for finding him. I was terrified I’d never get him back.’

‘Do you have anyone who watches Jenson for you?’

Mary shook her head. ‘I don’t know many people here. We used to live out at Norfolk. He usually comes with me if I have to go anywhere or I just have to take time off work.

‘I’ll watch him. If you need a break,’ Gibbs replied.

‘Mary looked at him, her tired eyes softening. ‘Are you sure Jethro? That would be very kind. Even just an hour to let me get the shopping.’

It turned out to be a busy week but one where all the cases were wound up by Thursday leaving Friday as a day where paperwork was king. It also meant, however, that everyone got home on time for the weekend. The team were surprised when Gibbs was the first person out the door.

‘Has he got a date?’ Ellie asked, knowing that such occasions could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

‘I don’t think you’re going to find out,’ Tim replied, packing his bag up ready to go home to Delilah and the twins.’

‘Find out what?’ Jack enquired as she walked through the bullpen, all ready to leave.

‘Gibbs was first out the door tonight. We’re wondering if he has lucky senorita to woo,’ Nick sang as he danced his way from behand his desk.

‘I’d say Tim’s right on that one: you won’t find out,’ Jack smiled.

‘Wait, you could ping his phone McGee!’ Nick exclaimed.

Tim laughed heartily. ‘No Nick, I can’t,’

‘Aww man, are you not a teeny bit curious?’

‘No, I’m not,’ Goodnight folks. Tim led the team towards the elevator

The real reason Gibbs left on time was that he wanted to pick up more wood from the timber yard before it closed as he was going to have Jenson with him in the morning. He grabbed what he needed and got his purchases down to the basement before settling in for an evening with his boat a

It was just before 10am when Mary dropped off Jenson. It took Gibbs ten minutes to get Mary to leave and that we sure he’d be fine and he hadn’t changed his mind. Once she’d left, he looked to Jenson whose eyes were darting all over the place.

‘Come with me Jenson, I’ve got a job for you,’ Jethro told the youngster.

Jenson followed him eagerly to the previously explored depths of the basement.

‘Do you know what that is?’ Gibbs asked, pointing to the incomplete vessel.

‘A pirate ship,’ Jenson exclaimed. His eyes alight with the idea

Gibbs chuckled to himself. ‘Close, it won’t be as big as a pirate ship but it’s definitely a boat.

‘Woah,’ Jenson exclaimed.

‘Wanna help me build it?’ He asked. Jenson was practically jumping up and down in delight as he nodded his head furiously. Gibbs smirked. ‘Ok buddy. First we gotta go through the rules…’

Once the rules were understood, Gibbs showed Jenson what they were going to be doing, carefully going through the tools. Jenson stood completely enthralled and listened carefully, only doing what he was told. Mary was back within the hour and Jethro sent her away, said they’d be fine for a while yet. She reappeared at lunchtime and announced she had bought lunch with her. Gibbs guided the boy back up the stairs and got him to wash his hands before they all sat down to eat the sandwiches Mary had made. Jenson told his Grandma about what he’d been doing, animatedly describing all the tools and reciting all the rules (the main one being never to go to the basement without an adult). Mary smiled at seeing him so enthused by something and by her own reckoning, it was the longest he’d gone without his whereabouts having to be checked.

‘You can leave him hear ‘til dinner. He’s been just fine,’ Jethro announced as they finished eating.

‘Are you sure?’ Mary replied,

‘Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,’ he smiled. ‘I’ll bring him home when we’re finished.

She smiled back. ‘I think it has been so long since I had time to myself, I’ve forgotten what to.’

‘Well you’ve got an afternoon to start remembering,’

Mary smirked as she said goodbye and left the boatbuilder and his apprentice to it. Jethro looked down at his tiny padawan.

‘Right kid, back to the boat,’ he ordered, and Jenson’s face lit up with the biggest smile.

It was 5 o’ clock by the time they finally called it a day. Gibbs could see the boy’ big brown eyes starting to tire and thought it was only fair he took him home. Mary insisted he stay for dinner, an offer Gibbs reluctantly accepted. Once the meal was consumed, Jenson was dispatched to start running himself a bath, leaving Mary and Jethro alone in the dining room.

‘Thank you for today. I can’t remember the last time I had so much time to myself and Jenson has clearly had a wonderful time,’ Mary said gratefully.

Gibbs smiled. ‘He was good company. As long as I’m not working, he can come over next Saturday too.

And that’s what happened for the next few months, Jenson would spend Saturday’s learning to build boats. All the pictures he would bring home from school would involve boats or Mr Gibbs.


	3. Car Trouble

It was early December and Gibbs was at work. Bishop was driving as they were returned from interviewing a suspect. Gibbs phone rang and he checked out the caller ID. It was Mary

‘Hey,’ he said in a much softer tone than Bishop was used to. Her interest was definitely piqued.

‘Hi Jethro, I know you’re a busy person, but I was wondering if there was any chance you could get Jenson from school? I’ve been at a meeting out of town and my car… well let’s just say I’m waiting on AAA.’ Mary said. She was obviously panicked at the thought of not being back in time for her Grandson.

Gibbs looked at his watch a realised it was only 5 minutes until school ended. ‘Sure, I’ll go get him now. You going to be ok getting back?’ he asked.

‘I’ll let you know what the mechanic says but don’t worry about me, as long as Jenson is ok. I’ll tell the school to expect you.’

‘No problem. See you later,’

‘Something wrong?’ Ellie asked.

‘Nope, but you’re going to have to drive to Elmvale Elementary.’

Ellie thought better of asking too many questions, so she just did as Gibbs asked. Once they were at the school, Gibbs went into the school and returned with a young boy. Gibbs strapped him in the back. Ellie turned around.

‘Hey there. My name’s Ellie, what’s your name?’

‘Jenson,’ came the timid reply.

‘It’s ok buddy, she’s doesn’t bite.’ Gibbs added as he got back i to the passenger seat.

On the way back to the Navy Yard, Gibbs talked to Jenson about his day. Ellie couldn’t help but smile noting that this was the most animated she’d ever seen her boss. When they arrived back at work, Gibbs got Jenson signed in before taking him up to see Jack. She was sat at the desk deep in thought when they arrived.

‘Well hello there,’ she took off her glasses and fixed the shy-looking boy with a warm smile.’

‘Jack, this is Jenson and he’s going to stay at NCIS while his Grandma gets her car fixed. Can he stay here?

‘Of course,’ she replied softly. ‘Is he allowed a lollipop?’

Gibbs shrugged. ‘I guess so,’

Jack offered the boy a lollipop. He surveys the colours on offer before plumping for red.

‘Good choice Jenson. Just what I would have picked,’ Gibbs chimed as he left the room.

He looked at his watch. It was nearly 6pm and still no word from Mary. He tried to call her, but it went straight to voicemail.

‘Everything ok Boss?’ McGee asked as he looked up from his desk.

‘Jenson’s Grandma has not been back in touch since she was waiting for a tow truck.’ He mused.

‘Want me to ping the phone?’ McGee asked?

Gibbs thought for a moment. ‘Yeah I do.’

He handed his Senior Field Agent his phone with the number on. Tim’s fingers tapped at the keyboard.

‘It’s showing as being on the interstate at J54. Don’t think the phone is on though as it’s been there for a while. He tapped more keys on his keyboard and put the traffic cameras from that stretch of road up on the screen.

Torres and Bishop walked into the bull pen, drawn to the big screen.

‘What’s this?’ Bishop asked.

‘Jenson’s Grandma hasn’t been in touch and her phone is pinging from this location. No sign of her car though,’ Gibbs eyes were wide with a sense that something wasn’t quite right.

‘Was she waiting on roadside rescue, can we check their logs?’ Torres queried.

‘It was triple A,’ Gibbs stated.

McGee immediately started looking. He swallowed hard when he saw the results.

‘They were called out but when they arrived on scene, the car wasn’t there. Couldn’t make contact with owner so they left. That was an hour ago.’

McGee started tracing the traffic cameras back until he found Mary’s car stopped on the shoulder of the road. They all watched as a tow truck stopped and picked up her car. Mary got in to the cab before it left. McGee got the company details, an address in DC.

Gibbs went to get his gear as did Torres and Bishop.

‘Bishop, Torres, you guys go home,’ Gibbs said calmly.

‘Oh no, you need back up.’ Torres stated

He inwardly smiled at his two agents. ‘McGee, get Sloane to take Jenson to my house and get him food. Then get yourself home.

‘No Boss, I’ll let Sloane know then I’ll look for her car or the truck on the cameras.’

He stood in front of Tim’s desk. ‘Thank you, McGee.’

The three agents headed towards the elevator in unison.

Jenson was quite oblivious to everything that had occurred in the squad room. He sat in Jack’s office drawing pictures (of boats, obviously). McGee had taken Jack to one side and briefed her on the situation. She ushered Jenson to her car, explaining that they were going to wait for “Mr” Gibbs and his Grandma at Gibbs’ house. They stopped off and picked up some food on the way home, sitting at Gibbs’ kitchen table to eat it. Jenson was telling Jack all about his Saturday’s building boats.

‘Wow, Gibbs doesn’t let just anyone help him build his boats with him, you must be a good worker.’

‘I follow all the rules!’ Jenson beamed proudly. He then proceeded to tell Jack all the rules. She listened avidly while inwardly having a little chuckle to herself.

‘Well I know Gibbs likes his rules. Well done for remembering them all.’

Eventually Jenson started to get sleepy. Jack sourced a spare toothbrush from Gibbs’ bathroom for Jenson and got him to rest on the couch. She sat next to him, gently stroking his hair as he glided effortlessly in to sleep.

The vehicle recovery was on the outer limits of DC on the way to Arlington. The flecks of rain in the air were rapidly turning into snow on biting northerly wind. Gibbs swung the car in front of the garages and a man cleaning his hands on a rag appeared at the door.

‘Can I help?’ the man asked as Gibbs flashed his creds at him.

‘I’m looking for a car and it’s occupant one of your trucks picked up from the interstate a few hours ago.’

‘Um, I’m not sure I follow? We have no cars in at the moment.’ The man looked confused

‘I’ve got video footage of one of your trucks picking this car up.’

‘You’re welcome to take a look, sir. I ain’t hiding anything,’

Gibbs signalled Torres and Bishop to take a look.

‘Do you have the licence number of the truck? I’ll check the logs,’ the man offered. Gibbs followed him to the office. There was a woman sat on the phone, taking calls from stranded motorists. The man introduced himself as Ted Groves and the woman as his wife, Marie. Gibbs recited the licence and the man immediately looked up.

‘We don’t use that truck anymore. It was the first one my dad started the business with 30 years ago. We still have it,’

‘I’ll need to see it,’ Gibbs asserted.

Ted explained that they kept it at their farm near Falls Church. He was telling Gibbs how they lived there with his parents when his phone rang.

‘It’s my ma, Marie, will you get this please?’

Marie took the phone and went to answer it. Torres and Bishop arrived back having failed to find anything in the garages. Gibbs phone also started to ring: it was McGee.

‘Boss, I’ve found the truck on camera footage heading from Falls Church direction 2 hours ago.’

It was then Marie came running through.

‘Ted, your dad has disappeared with the truck. Your ma is not sure how long he’s been gone,’ he said, with tears in her eyes.

Ted looked worried. Gibbs fixed him with a quizzical look.

‘My dad has Alzheimer’s. He used to run this business out of a tiny garage on the farm in Falls Church. He sometimes relapses and thinks he’s still in charge and organises his tools. He’s never taken the truck before.

Gibbs got an address for the old garage and the agents left in search of Mary. Ted followed on in his car. When they arrived, they found the truck and a light on in the small, ramshackle garage. The agents stood back and let Ted enter the premises first. Sure enough, there wasTed Snr, trying to fix Mary’s car. Gibbs poked his head around the corner and to his relief, sees Mary cradling a cup of coffee.

‘Da, this lady’s friends have arrived to take her home. We can finish the car in the morning.’

Ted Snr was looking somewhat lost, suddenly looking at the tools in his hands like they were foreign. Ted stepped towards his dad, gently taking the spanner out of his hand and leading him way. Ted looked at Mary,

‘I’m so sorry ma’am. Leave me your address and I’ll fix your car and get it delivered to you tomorrow,’ Ted reassured her. Mary miles and looked towards Ted Snr.

‘Thank you for helping me Ted. You’ve been very kind,’ Mary soothed.

Ted Snr smiled, but that smile turned to confusion as Mary became a stranger to him again. There was a pain in his eyes as he desperately tried to recall. Unable to extract the memory he needed, he walked off toward his son who put his arm around him and walked him out the garage.

Mary couldn’t thank Jack enough for looking after Jenson.

‘It’s fine, he’s good company. I bought extra takeaway so get some food,’ Jack told her as she readied herself to go home.

Jethro walked though with two plates of food for them. ‘Thanks Jack,’ he said as he left. She raised her hand in acknowledgement and closed the door behind her.

‘I should probably get Jenson home,’ Mary declared.

Jethro looked at the boy who was fast asleep on the couch having not moved since they got back.

‘He’ll be fine for another 30 minutes. Eat,’ Gibbs ordered, gesturing towards the food.

Reluctantly, Mary took a seat opposite her neighbour.

‘You know, I don’t think I’ve been as needy in the last year as I have in my life,’

Gibbs fixed her with a puzzled look. ‘You don’t come across as needy to me,

‘Maybe needy isn’t the right word. Dependent probably fits better.

Again, Gibbs looked at her not quite understanding.

‘Mary, you work and look after your grandson. You’re about as independent as they come.’

‘I’m relying on my uncle for a roof over our heads, I’m relying on colleagues to swap days so I can get Jenson from school and I’m relying on you to rescue me when I let the wrong breakdown truck take me away.’

Gibbs detected the pain in her voice. He doubted this had anything to do with most of those events. Like him, she’d been on her own for quite some time only she’d had the sense to not try replicate what she had with John with other people.

‘You’re not being very fair on yourself,’ was all Jethro replied with. Mary continued to eat and he was not convinced she believed him.

Once they’d eaten, Gibbs carried a soundly asleep Jenson home to his bed. Mary took his shoes off but left him in his clothes, not wanting to wake him up at this hour. She gently shut his bedroom door as the silently left the room.

‘He’ll be overjoyed he avoided bath time,’ Mary quipped as they walked back down the stairs.

Gibbs went to the door. ‘I’ll leave you to the rest of your evening,’ he says.

‘Thank you for everything Jethro. And I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your, and you team’s time.’

Gibbs turned to Mary and smiled at her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and softly whispered, ‘It’s no trouble. I’m real pleased you felt you could ask and you’re really not being reliant or needy. I’ll see you on Saturday,’ and with that he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Mary blushed as Jethro made his way out the door and back to his own house.


	4. Oh Christmas Tree!

‘Thanks for last night, Jack,’ Gibbs handed her a takeaway coffee.

‘Hey it was fine. Jenson is lovely. He was telling me all about boats. In fact, he drew me pictures of lot of boats and you and him making boats. I’d say he’s quite taken with you, and boats, obviously,’

He shrugged, ‘I just look after him for a few hours so Mary gets some time to herself.’

Jack could see he was going to play this down as much as possible, so she changed tact, ‘Was Mary ok. She seemed a bit upset?’

‘Just worrying about putting people out I think.’

‘Does she look after Jenson full-time?’

‘Yeah her daughter died about a year ago. The house belongs to her Uncle.’

‘Gosh, must be stressful. Still, at least she’ got you.’

And there it was, the tiniest of smirks that made Jack believe there was more to this than Jethro was letting on. She knew not to push any further, so she handed him one of Jenson’s pictures and he left her office without a word.

Gibbs hadn’t realised he was going to kiss Mary last night. The urge had caught him by surprise and he secretly hoped she wasn’t offended by it. Once word came through of a suspected terrorist bombing at a naval instillation, he knew he wouldn’t be worrying about it for a while. He called Mary just after 4pm to let her know she wouldn’t be able to have Jenson on Saturday.

‘I know he’ll be disappointed,’ Gibbs told her over the phone.

‘He’ll be fine once I explain. Take care of yourself Jethro.’

He closed his phone. At least she didn’t *sound* offended. She sounded quite the opposite.

‘Ready to go boss?’ McGee called over, bag already on his back.

‘Yeah McGee, let’s go.’

It was Monday by the time any of the MRCT saw their own homes again. After what had been an intense case, The whole team left the office at 3pm. As he got out of his truck on the driveway, he heard a familiar voice.

‘Mr Gibbs, you’re back!’

Looking up he could see Jenson on the opposite side of the road having just got out the car. Mary was stood by the car. Jethro smiled and walked across the road to see them.

‘Is this you just back?’ Mary sounded astonished.

‘Yeah,’ he brushed off the concern in Mary’s voice by focussing on her grandson.

‘How are you Jenson.’ He smiled at the boy

Jenson launched into a full description of his day at kindergarten. Both adults smiled and they listened to his dramatic version of the day’s events.

‘Jenson, do you want to go in and put your coat away?’

Jenson nodded and skipped into the house.

Mary turned to Jethro and smiled. ‘You must be exhausted. Did you want to join us for dinner, or I can bring some over if you’d prefer the peace?’

‘Yeah, I’ll come over. Thanks,’ a boyish smile spread across his face.

A shower and a nap helped him feel a little more revived before he headed back over to Mary’s for his dinner. Jenson was eager to talk to him and he enjoyed his company. Once dinner was finished. Mary sent the boy to run a bath while Gibbs helped her tidy the dishes.

‘There’s beer in the fridge if you wanted to stay a bit?’ she offered. ‘I just need make sure Jenson actually gets in the bath and washes.’ She rolled her eyes causing Gibbs to smirk.

Gibbs nodded and grabbed himself a beer as Mary ran upstairs to sort Jenson. After 15 minutes, Jenson bounded back down the stairs and took a seat next to him. He showed Gibbs a book about boats he’d taken out of the library and the pair sat and studied it. Mary returned downstairs and presented her grandson with a glass of milk.

‘Ten minutes Jenson, then it’s time for bed,’ she warned, taking a seat in the armchair and watching as the older man patiently explained boat design to the child. When she gently told Jenson it was time to head upstairs, he asked if Mr Gibbs could read him a story. Before she had chance to say anything, Jethro agreed and the pair of them made their way upstairs. When he returned, Mary chuckled.

‘You can say no to him.’

‘It’s ok, he’s a good kid.’

Mary got them both another beer and they sat on the couch together.

‘You’re very good with Jenson. Do you have children?’

Gibbs looked down, ‘I did have. A daughter,’

‘I’m sorry,’

He shrugged. No matter how many years passed, the pain was still there. Mary would know that pain too and somehow, that didn’t make him feel any better.

‘Jenson keeps asking me about Christmas. As much as I want to ignore it, I can’t because it’s really not fair on him. Jessica died on Christmas Eve last year, so he didn’t get one then either. Guess I’m going have to just go along with it, just like I did when John died.’

Having not really done Christmas for over 30 years, Gibbs tried to imagine having to celebrate it and pretend to be happy. Somehow, he wanted to make it easier for her.

‘How about I take Jenson to get a tree on Saturday?’

Mary thought about it. ‘I guess a tree might be a start,’

‘You got lights?’

‘Somewhere,’ she sniffed.

Jethro saw as her face crumpled. The pretence of being ok faded and those raw feelings about it nearly being a year since she last saw her daughter and 30 year since she saw her husband erupted. Her eyes were full of tears as he put his arm around her and let her lean against him.

‘I don’t think that one will fit in your house, Jenson,’ Gibbs chuckled as the over-excited boy pointed at the biggest tree he could find.

It has been decades since Jethro had last bothered with the frivolity of a Christmas tree. Yet here he was, the Saturday before Christmas, looking for a tree that Jenson could decorate. He marvelled at how much joy the child was getting from the whole experience. If he was honest, he was getting a lot of pleasure from watching Jenson stare up at trees twice his size.

Ever since the kiss, Jethro had spent more and more time with Mary and Jenson despite his growing reservations that it was a good idea. He knew he was a difficult person to get on with, yet he found himself letting Mary in more and more each time they met. Even the rest of the team had noticed a subtle lightening in his demeanour of late. He knew they were talking about it and he knew they suspected it was Mary. Jack often asked how Jenson was it that way that suggested she was going to be reading much more into the answer than anyone could imagine. Still, his growing relationship worried him. The reason all the others had failed ended up being that none of them were Shannon. Indeed, he had not even mentioned Shannon to her despite talking about Kelly.

Once Jenson had picked a tree that would jointly fit in Gibbs’ truck and the lounge, they made their way back home. Jethro wondered how Mary would be feeling given that they were less than a week from the first anniversary of her daughter’s death. He knew he had struggled deeply with all those firsts after his wife and daughter died. First birthdays, anniversary, Christmas. He never discussed it because how could anyone have an inkling in to how he was feeling? The pain was very visceral back then while it still ached how, nothing compared with the horror of that first year.

As he hauled the tree back into the house, it was hard not to smile at Jenson’s excited babbling. Mary was quiet but still managed to smile at her grandson. Once the lights were wrapped around the tree, Mary left Jenson to decorate the tree as he saw fit.

‘You ok, Gibbs asked as he followed Mary through to the kitchen as she made them coffee.

‘Yeah, I remind myself this is for Jenson, not for me.’ Mary looked down as she pushed strands of her long brown hair behind her ears. ‘Got another bit of bad news today. Uncle Bert is selling the house so we’re going to have to find somewhere else to live in the new year.’

The news hit Gibbs hard. Those feeling he had been ignoring were suddenly bought to the fore. He didn’t want Mary and Jenson to leave. He knew he would miss them. When he opened his mouth, the words tumbled out instinctively.

‘I have spare rooms. You could stay with me if you wanted,’

She stood open-mouthed, taking in the enormity of what Jethro had just offered. For the first few moments, she wondered if he was being serious but her gaze met with his steely blue eyes, she knew he wasn’t the sort of person to say something he didn’t mean.

‘You don’t have to give me an answer now. But the offer is there. Won’t be offended if you don’t take it. I would miss you though.

‘You’d really let us move into your house after knowing us for all of 3 months?’ Mary handed him a steaming mug of coffee.

Jethro shrugged. ‘You’re not exactly axe murder material.’ He quipped taking a drink from his mug.

Mary laughed. It was the first time she had laughed properly in some time and it felt good.

‘I guess you’d know,’ Mary smiled.

‘Yeah, guess I would,’ he smirked.

‘In that case, I am going to accept your kind offer,’ her smile lit up her whole face and when she looked to Jethro, she saw that his smile mirrored her own. ‘I think we better go give Jenson a hand with those high up branches. Don’t want an uneven tree,’


	5. Falling For You

It was somewhat inevitable that a case would come up two days before Christmas. There was a race for the team to get the information they needed before everything shut down for the festive season. Everyone had plans they’d really rather not cancel for the day itself so when they were able to wrap everything up by lunchtime on Christmas Eve, there was a palpable sense of relief. Reports were written with break-neck speed. As the team dispersed, Gibbs went in search of Jack, who was still holed up in her office, clearing her workload so she could escape for a few days.

‘Hey Gibbs, you still here?’ Jack smiled as she cleared the last of the paperwork of her desk in a care-free manner.

‘Could say the same to you,’ he retorted.

‘Yeah you got me. But I now have a clear desk so I can disappear for a few days with a clear conscience.’

‘I’m going soon. Just thought I’d drop by to see how you were.’

‘I’m impressed you are leaving so early. Got plans?’ Jack asked.

‘Nothing much. Going to check in on Mary, it’s a year today since her daughter died.’

‘Christmas Eve? That must be tough. How’s my friend Jenson?’ Jack could tell that Gibbs needed to talk but she knew she was going to have to prise whatever it was out of him.

‘Yeah. He’s good.’

‘You must have a lot of common ground, you and Mary?’ she ventured, knowing the wrong wording and Gibbs would close-down her questioning.

Gibbs took a seat. He definitely needed something, Jack thought to herself. She took a seat next to him.

‘What is it?’ she opted for a more direct approach.

‘I like her Jack. I really like her but….’

She tilted her head, trying to encourage the Marine to share a little more with no success. A silence fell over the room. Why was he hesitating?

‘She’s a lovely woman. I’d say the feeling is mutual based on what I saw.’ Jack watched as Gibbs mulled over what she said, his face showing an uneasiness that she couldn’t quite place.

‘It just feels wrong,’

‘Wrong how? What’s wrong, Gibbs?’ Jack watched the anguish in his eyes. She’d never quite seen him like this before.

‘I’ll screw it up like I always do and I don’t want to hurt her because she doesn’t deserve that,’

Jack was quite taken aback by his admission. Since she’d met Gibbs, he’d never displayed so much emotion or said so much in a single conversation. She felt quite honoured that finally he was starting to open-up to her.

‘She told me she was going to have to move because her house is being sold. I offered her to stay with me. I said it without even thinking,’

‘You did?’ she couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘You must really like her, Cowboy.’

He sighed. ‘I’d miss her and I’d miss Jenson.’

‘If this matters to you, you can do something about it.’

He looked at Jack. He knew what she was insinuating and for the first time he was starting to think she may be right.

‘I’ll think about it.’

Jack squeezed his hand, acknowledging how huge this was for him. He looked to her and gave her a smile tinged with sadness.

‘Thanks Jack,’ he uttered softly, leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek.

‘Let yourself have a good Christmas, Gibbs.’

***

As soon as she opened the door, Jethro could see she had been crying. The cheery façade she chose to wear did little to convince him that she was ok.

‘I can leave if you’d rather be alone. I just wanted to check in with you,’ the gentleness was evident in his words.

‘No, please come in. I think Jenson is hoping you’ll be able to light a fire, our boiler appears to have broken and I’m just a mess.’

It didn’t take him long to get a fire going. Jenson was enthralled watching Gibbs set and light the fire and a new batch of rules were issued regarding keeping safe at the fire side. The house began to warm up. He went to take a look at the boiler, not liking the idea of them having no heating or hot water during what was forecast to be one of the coldest Christmases in half a century. It didn’t look like something he was going to be able to fix that evening, so he promised to return with his tools in the morning.

‘I can’t expect you to spend Christmas morning trying to fix my boiler,’ she protested.

Gibbs shrugged, ‘I’ve not exactly got plans.’

‘Are you not spending the day with anyone?’

‘Nope. I’ll just be working in the boat,’

‘You’re more than welcome to join us.’

He smiled at her. There was a hint of pleading in her voice that he just couldn’t say no to. He remembered what Jack had said about letting himself enjoy Christmas and wondered of this was what she had meant.

As the evening wore on, Jethro was roped in to reading Jenson a bedtime story. He’d loved reading Kelly stories when she was Jenson’s age. Jenson was just as excited as she had been on Christmas Eve. He couldn’t help but think about her. In another world, he might have been a grandpa himself by now. He was a grandpa of sorts to the offspring of his work kids but he spent more time with Jenson these days and very soon he was going to be living with him. Where before he’d been worried about his closeness to Mary, it now gave him a sense of comfort to know he wasn’t alone. While he still had reservations about making a mess of things, he knew he wanted to try and do things right this time.

By the time he made it back downstairs, Mary had poured him a glass of bourbon and placed it on the side table, she sat on the couch nursing her own glass, her wet eyes glistening in the orange glow of the fire. He grabbed his glass and sat next to her.

‘Hard day?’ he enquired.

She nodded her head. ‘We went and put a wreath on Jessica’s grave. Jenson stood and told her all about kindergarten and about building boats. Told her how much he missed her and that he was doing his best to look after Grandma. He’s been quite subdued today really. Everything has just felt so heavy. Not to mention cold.

‘If I can’t get this boiler working, you might want to consider staying at mine. It’s going to get real cold.’

She nodded, a faraway look on her face. She held her glass out to Jethro, who tapped his against it, producing a satisfying chink sound.

‘To those we carry in our hearts’ she announced.

‘Amen,’ he replied before taking a swig. 


	6. In The Line of Fire

Armed with his tool and gifts, he was at Mary’s house before the sun was up on Christmas morning. She’d already got a fire going and Jenson was very excited having opened his presents already.

‘Four o’ clock he was awake Jethro. I only got to sleep at 3.’ Mary looked exhausted and gripped on to her cup of coffee like her life depended on it.

He offered her a sympathetic look as he placed the presents he’s bought under the tree.

‘Jenson, I need your help to fix the boiler,’ Jethro instructed. Without hesitation, the boy leapt to his mentor’s side and helped him take his tools through to the basement where the boiler lived. After an hour, they had only limited success and Gibbs knew there was very little else he was going to be able to do. They tidied up their tools and trudged back upstairs. He looked for Mary and found her fast asleep in the armchair. A quick look in the kitchen revealed that some kind of bird was gently roasting in the oven and all the food prep seemed to be done. He put another log on the fire and gesturing to the young boy to be quiet, they left the house returning to Jethro’s. He got Jenson to help him get the guest rooms ready, safe in the knowledge that the heating would not be enough to keep them warm overnight, with a particularly cold snap forecast to hit. Jenson was excited at the prospect of staying with Mr Gibbs on top of the excitement of it being Christmas. Once the rooms were ready, they went back across the road, where Mary was just waking up.

‘You should have woken me,’ she yawned, standing up to stretch.

‘Thought you could do with the sleep,’ Gibbs explained about the partial fix on the boiler and how it wasn’t going to be enough to keep them warm.

‘We’ve got the rooms ready at my place. They’re all yours tonight and for as long as you need them.’

Once the meal was out the way, Gibbs and Jenson washed up while Mary packed a bag for herself and her grandson. It was starting to snow as the three of them made their way over to Gibbs’ house. He showed Mary the rooms and let her settle in while he got his own fire going. By early evening, Jenson was paying the price for his early start and Mary was able to get him to bed without a single complaint. When she got downstairs, Jethro was waiting for her with a bottle of bourbon and two empty glasses. The pair sat down together on the couch and initially discussed her practicalities of sharing a house. He discovered Mary didn’t own any of the furniture in her uncle’s house.

‘When Jessica got ill, her insurance wouldn’t cover her for a lot of the expenses. She’d come to live with me as soon as she knew she was ill. After she died, I had to sell our home and everything in it to clear the loans I’d taken out. When Jenson and I arrived here, we had four boxes and 2 suitcases to our name. Uncle Bert was happy to help us by giving us somewhere to stay, but I always knew it was temporary.’

Gibbs sat silently, taking in the enormity of what they had been through in less than a year. He started talking to her about how long he had lived in his house, telling her about what had happened to Shannon and Kelly. She listened carefully, aware how hard it was for him to talk about what was clearly an exceptionally painful memory. She poured them both another measure of bourbon while Jethro threw another log on the fire. When they sat back down, they instinctively sat closer together. Jethro smiled at her and put his arm around her, bring her closer to his chest and allowing him to rest his head on hers. That’s how they stayed for the next hour, just enjoying the closeness and the silence.

The snow carpeted as far as she could see. Earlier, there had been teams of families outside, building snowmen, enjoying snowball fights and sledging. After lunch, the temperature had plummeted, the previously fluffy snow became crisp and frozen. There were still a few hardy souls braving the outside but most sensible people had retreated indoors. Nursing a cup of tea, Mary watched the stillness from the lounge window. Jethro had been called in to work before dawn, leaving her and Jenson alone in his house for the first time. Mary continued to stare out the window, barely focussing on anything and lost in her thoughts. Waking up that morning, she’d felt happy. She’d survived Christmas and she’d enjoyed her evening with Jethro, cuddled up on the couch and drinking bourbon. She’d called Bert just after lunch, to let him know about the boiler and that she had found somewhere to stay. When he’d found out where she was staying, he sounded uneasy.

‘Just be careful,’ he’d warned. ‘He’s made a fair few enemies in his line to work. There have been bodies bought out of that house more times than you’d think.’

It had been enough to unsettle her. Before she’d agreed to move in, she’d not given any thought to the risks of living with a federal agent. The thought of anything happening to Jenson put a shiver up her spine. The conflict was with her growing feelings for the man. It felt like he’d come into their life just as they’d needed him the most. He was great with Jenson and the boy practically worshipped the ground he walked on. Turning away from the window she decided to distract herself by cooking dinner.


	7. Twixmas

It was Ellie who noted their boss’ good mood first.

‘I thought he hated Christmas?’ she whispered in the bullpen, safe in the knowledge Gibbs was in MTAC and out of earshot. ‘He’s like Gibbs, but full of Christmas spirit.’

‘He’s probably just glad to have a case and be back at work,’ McGee mumbled while typing up his report.

‘Yeah McGee has a point. Glad it’s over and he’s back at work. Wish I could share the sentiment.’ Torres added.

But they all knew there was something different about him. He was chattier that usual and smiling more. It reminded McGee of the Gibbs he’d met when he started at NCIS and before Kate had died. Something, or rather someone had clearly made him happy and he just hoped it would continue.

The fire crackled as she added another log to the glowing remnants of the last one she’d put on there an hour ago. Sitting back down, she picked up her book and tried to concentrate on the words in front of her. It was late evening and Jenson had gone to bed a couple of hours ago leaving Mary with her thoughts for company. She heard the sound of Jethro’s truck pull into the driveway and eventually he appeared in doorway.

‘Hi, there’s leftover casserole in the oven if you’re hungry,’ Mary offered.

Jethro offered her a smile and went though to the kitchen to dish himself up some food. Mary pretended to read her book, Bert’s words still swirling round her head like a storm. When she finally shook her head free from her thoughts, Jethro had finished his meal, got himself changed and was holding a glass of bourbon out for her.

‘Thanks,’ she flustered, taking the glass. Jethro took a seat next to her.

‘Everything ok?’ he asked cautiously.

‘Yes, fine,’ she replied far too quickly.

‘Did you get hold of Bert?’

Letting out a loud sigh, she put her book down, ending the pretence she was actually reading anything.

‘That sounds like a yes. What has he said about me that’s upset you?’

‘What makes you think I’m upset?’

All he had to do was give her a knowing look and she remembered he was very good at reading non-verbal cues.

‘He was worried that we wouldn’t be safe here, that you had made enemies and that would put us at risk.’ She exhaled loudly.

‘And now he’s put that idea in your head you can’t shake it?’ he offered, those blue eyes meeting her own. She nodded her head, unwilling to maintain eye contact.

‘I’ve felt annoyed with him all afternoon. Like I needed something else to worry about,’ Mary went to the window, staring at the softly falling snow.

Jethro sat back, trying to identify what emotions he was feeling. Anger, anxiety, helplessness and predominantly, fear. A fear of losing this friendship he’d cultivated over the last few months. A friendship that means more to him than he could even admit.

‘What can I do to make you feel safe here?’

Mary sat herself back down, picking up her glass and taking a large swig.

‘I don’t know,’

In his head, Jethro was thinking of everything he could do to save this situation. But the ghosts of the women of his past were always there. Shannon, Kelly, Kate, Jenny, Ziva… He hadn’t been able to protect them so why should Mary and Jenson be any different? He felt a coldness spread across his chest. He announced he was going to work on his boat and left Mary with the fire for company.


	8. Lashing Out

‘McGee, why is this taking so long?’

‘Boss, they’re using really complex encryption, better than the stuff we’re using. Also they’re…’

‘Just get it done,’ he boomed, walking out the bull pen towards the lifts.

‘Wow, that Christmas spirit did not last long at all,’ Torres observed while trying to scan the case file for anything that might give them a lead and make Gibbs less angry.

‘Hey, where’s Gibbs?’ Jack asked as she walked up alongside McGee’s desk.

‘Jack, you do not want to see him right now. He nearly took McGee’s head off a minute ago and he’s been in an awful mood since we got in,’ Bishop warned.

‘Case not going well? I thought you’d got a lead?

‘We do, but we’re not getting there fast enough. I have never seen Gibbs mood change so drastically overnight. It was like he was auditioning for a hallmark movie yesterday. Today that movie is Godzilla. Torres stated, still flicking though the case file, praying for inspiration

‘I’ll maybe catch up with him later. Let me know if I can help,’ Jack smiled as she headed back towards her office.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Gibbs’ sudden mood change had anything to do with what he told her on Christmas Eve. If it was, there wasn’t much she could do unless he came to her which, for the safety of her colleagues, she hoped he would do.

Everyone was relieved when they caught a break on the case. One suspect led to another and McGee managed to untangle the military-grade encryption on the files they needed. While this eased Gibbs mood slightly, he was still not to be messed with and the team could not leave the building fast enough when home time came. Jack walked through the almost deserted bullpen and found Gibbs still working away.

‘Hey, been meaning to catch up with you all day but this case has kept you busy. How’s it going Gibbs?’ she asked, leaning against Torres desk.

His initial response was to not answer. He did not want to talk about it. It already hurt to think about Mary leaving and she hadn’t gone yet. But he knew not talking about this was part of the problem.

‘Bad,’ he huffed, at last answering Jack’s question.

Puzzled, Jack pulled a confused face. ‘What’s happened?’ her voice soft against his gruffness.

He sighed and put his pen down. It was against his instincts to talk to her about this and she knew it.

‘Diner?’ She suggested, suspecting he didn’t want to talk about this at work.

Nodding his head in agreement, he turned off his lamp and walked toward the elevator with Jack.

***

‘So, what’s happened?’ Jack asked as she cradled the hot coffee cup in her hands

He explained about the boiler and Mary and Jenson moving in early. He then told her about what Bert had told his niece.

‘I’ve asked what I could do to make her feel safe,’ Gibbs shrugged, almost like he was trying to play this all off. ‘But she doesn’t know.’

Jack took it all in, watching Gibbs for any reaction but all she got was him staring at his coffee.

‘Talk to her Jethro. She’s told you all this in the hope you can reassure her.’

Gibbs went to speak, but no words came out. Sloane saw the conflict in his eyes. She put her hand on his.

‘Gibbs?’

‘I can’t reassure her Jack. Too many have gotten close and died because of it. Bert was right.’ He was almost matter of fact about it. Almost, but there was a flash of hurt in his eyes. 

‘Well, will you promise me you will at least try before you consign this woman’s happiness as well as your own to the fire?’

‘I won’t lie to her Jack,’

‘I don’t expect you to. But be honest about how you feel. At the end of the day it’s her decision, but let her make that decision with all the facts. Don't shrug and accept it as being something you deserve.'


	9. Coffee and Danish

It was the smell of baking that Jethro first noticed when he woke up on Saturday morning. The clock told him it was only 5 o’clock in the morning. On reaching the kitchen, he discovered Mary roughly kneading dough on the counter.   
‘Didn’t wake you up, did I?’ she asked cautiously, her eyes were heavy and her voice was a little unsteady.  
‘No, not at all. This all looks great. What’s the occasion?’ he asked gently.  
She shrugged. ‘Couldn’t sleep so thought I’d do something useful.’ She finished kneading the dough and placed it in a tin and covered it, leaving it to prove.  
‘Coffee?’ he offered.  
‘Yes please. There are some pastries not long out the oven it you wanted some.  
Jethro filled the coffee maker up with water and carefully measured the fresh coffee grounds into the filter. He watched as Mary systematically cleared away the ingredients she’d been using. He noted how it seemed like she belonged here, in this house. She and Jenson fitted in naturally. He surprised himself with this observation. He’d been too busy looking for reason’s that it wouldn’t work to realise that they added a harmony to his life that he didn’t realise he was missing. With a wistful look, he poured the coffee and Mary instinctively plated up some pastries for them and they took a seat at the table for the first time they’d spoken since Bert’s warning.  
‘I’m sorry if I offended you the other night,’ Mary offered.   
‘You didn’t offend me.’  
She nodded and stared down at her coffee.   
‘How do you feel about staying here now you’ve had chance to think about it properly?’ he asked.  
‘That depends if you still want us to stay after all this’  
Jethro smiled. ‘I’ve always wanted you to stay.’  
‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘I do want to stay but it’s hard not to worry. Jenson is all I have left in the world and I’m all he’s got.  
Nodding in acknowledgement, he took another sip of his coffee. He could see the conflict playing out on her facial expression. He doubted she’d slept properly since their discussion 2 nights previous.   
‘How about I get one of my people over to make the house a bit more secure. I can fit better locks to the door and windows too,’ he looked at her hopefully.  
She nodded, her eyes meeting his for the first time that day, making Jethro smile.   
‘This is a lot of effort Jethro. For 2 people you’ve known less than 4 months. Are you sure?’ she quizzed.   
‘Oh, I’m sure,’ his blue eyes looking right at her, like he’d never been so sure of anything before. It was a look that made Mary blush which in turn caused Jethro to smirk.   
‘Does this mean you might actually lock the door now?’ she added, nonchalantly.  
‘If it makes you feel safe, I’ll deadlock the door,’ he returned without hesitation.  
Mary nodded, acknowledging his commitment to making her feel secure.   
‘Part of me is worried about you getting hurt and not coming back to us. It feel like everyone I’ve loved has always seemed to leave. Sometimes it feels easier not to put yourself in that situation because you don’t want to feel that hurt again.’ Mary spoke softly.   
The words she uttered could so easily have been said by him. He knew exactly what she was talking about because that was how he had been living his life; keeping everyone at a distance to avoid any hurt to his battered but capable heart. He reached across the table and put his hands on hers.  
‘I can’t promise I won’t get shot, beaten or blown up. That’s the nature of I’m job. I have a good team around me who do their best to make sure that doesn’t happen but it’s always a risk.   
Nodding, she took in what he was saying, weighing it up. Her head was telling her to run away but her heart was firmly rooted to the chair, swimming in the cool blue ocean that were Jethro’s eyes. Her heart, it would seem, felt very safe right here.  
They both heard the creaking of the stairs as a not-quite-awake Jenson descended towards them.  
‘Hey lovely boy, are you ready for breakfast?’ Mary cooed at the child.  
Without hesitation, Jenson nodded his head enthusiastically and took a seat at the table while his Grandma fixed him some pancakes.  
‘Wanna help me with the boat today, Jenson?’ Jethro asked him as he waited on his pancakes arriving.  
There was more eager nodding from Jenson, accompanied by a wide smile from his young charge as his favourite breakfast was placed in front of him.  
Mary stood behind Jethro, leaning down, she whispered in his ear, ‘If we left, I don’t think I’d ever be forgiven for taking the boy away from his beloved boat.’ 


	10. Spring Promise

The warm spring sunshine was a welcome development as the harshest winter DC had seen in 100 years melted from the memory. Mary let the warm rays bathe against her face and felt the energy of a new season put a spring in her step. After a rough couple of years of losing her daughter and her home, she was finally living her life instead of merely putting on foot in front of the other. While that had been a good tactic for the dark times, she felt they deserved more, and the lighter days had not disappointed.

The backyard was bathed in sunlight and she watched the two men in her life work on the treehouse. It had been Jethro’s idea and of course Jenson had been an enthusiastic supporter of the proposal, contributing to the planning and now as a labourer. It also meant that they got out in the fresh air instead of being hidden away in the gloomy basement. Another benefit was it kept her grandson out of trouble and focused his energies on something constructive. Mary had no doubt he’d be a competent joiner by the time Jethro had imparted all his knowledge on to him.

While it was easy to see how life had improved for herself and her grandson, she hadn’t quite taken into consideration the impact they’d had on the silver-haired federal agent. Mary had accompanied Jethro to an informal work gathering where she’d got talking to a few of his colleagues, all of whom hinted how happy he’s been since they’d entered his life. She’d met everyone in his team and she hadn’t expected to be taken in to the NCIS family as enthusiastically. Tim had been round to install security cameras and alarm (as per Jethro’s promise to make her feel as safe as possible), and Ducky popped over those weekends Jethro and the team were on a case. It was a lovely feeling that while she knew he had a dangerous job; he was surrounded by people who would do anything for him.

While they’d both confessed their feelings for one and other, they were happy taking things slowly. There was no rush and if life had taught them anything it was enjoy what’s in front of you. A few weeks earlier, Jethro had tried to get Jenson to call him something other than ‘Mister Gibbs.’ Jenson had thought about it for a day before asking if he could call him Grandpa. Jethro had looked to Mary for counsel on this matter and she’d simply smiled and nodded her approval. This little boy had never met his biological father or grandfather and had been robbed of his mother before he’d even started school. He deserved someone he could call his Grandpa and there was no one better qualified for the role. Right from the start, he’d bonded so well with her Grandson. Jethro never said, but she could see that it meant the world to him and it was a role he was enormously proud of.

Uncle Bert had completed the sale of his house and had flown back in from Hawaii to finalise everything. He’d called in to see them and on seeing how happy they all were, he conceded that his earlier advise may have been uncalled for, surmising that anyone who can get to Jethro’s age doing what he does is probably skilled enough to keep them all safe. Mary’s own experiences had led her to the philosophy of making hay while the sun shines. And she intended to enjoy every moment.

***

The treehouse was starting to take shape and Jenson was eager to help. Jethro made sure he always had a job to do so whether it was holding something, hammering nails or fetching tools, as long as je had a job he knew he wouldn’t be getting up to anything he shouldn’t be.

It had long been said that he got on well with kids. He didn’t have any great secret technique. He just made sure he talked to them directly and didn’t treat them like idiots. While woodworking had long been a solitary hobby for him, a way to unwind and forget his troubles, passing on his knowledge reminded him of standing in his father’s workshop doing the exact same things. He felt his father would be proud knowing that Jenson would be learning skills he’d passed down. Jackson would have doted on Jenson. Just as Jethro had been cheated out of seeing his own child grow up, Gibbs senior had lost his chance to watch his granddaughter turn in to a young woman too.

As hard as it had been, talking to Mary about how he felt about her had been positive and although he was still struggling in some respects, he had let Jack find him someone to talk to on a regular basis. There was a lot to unravel but Gibbs could feel the load lightening and the more he did, the more he was letting Mary in and the happier he felt. Jack was always there too when he was having a bad day. Sometimes she even looked after Jenson, just to give him some time alone with Mary.

As time went on, he was spending less time at work. While he was still always contactable and saw each case out, he was no longer relying on it the way he once did. On the very good days, he could even see a time where he wasn’t a special agent anymore. Such an idea would have filled him with dread not so long ago. While he had no plans to retire any time soon, he was at least imagining it.

With the frame for the treehouse complete, Jethro along with Jenson started to tidy up the tools. Jenson began to ferry them back to the basement while Jethro tidied up the offcuts. On seeing the halt of work, Mary walked over to inspect the progress. Gibbs couldn’t help but smile at her, standing behind her and protectively wrapping his arms around her, kissing her hair. She put her hand up to her shoulder, wrapping her fingers around his. Jenson ran up to them and clearly wanting to join in, Mary put her free arm around him, and Jethro put his around them both. They all stood silently for a few moments, enjoying being close to each other, revelling in the feeling of security they gave each other.

As Jethro had said before; Family is more than DNA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this is the end of this particular story, I have Christmas and a New Year extentions to the story of Jethro, Mary and Jenson that I will publish in a seperate post. The chance of further stories using these character remains high too. Thank you for reading, your feedback/kudos means a great deal.


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